Navy ship-naming by Secretary mired in controversy
The USS Medgar Evers? The USS John Murtha? The USS Cesar Chavez?
The SECNAV has been turning new naval construction into a series of unpaid political advertisement…what is known in the ad world as “product placement” on a previously unimaginable scale.
Our Navy Secretary, Ray Mabus, has this diversity thing down cold. Each one of those ships was in a class that previous names of their sister ships had nothing to do with civil rights, or corrupt Democratic politicians. Ships are usually named after states, cities, even famous explorers and war heroes.
But Mabus has injected partisanship into this tradition, naming another ship for Democrat Gabriel Giffords, who has shown courage in her recovery from an assassination attempt but had expressed little interest in the military during her career on Capitol Hill.
As a retired Navy Chief, this form of political spoils is disrespectful of the traditions of the service that the Secretary is supposed to at least support and respect. Unfortunately, it’s just par for the course for the most blatantly anti-military administration in the history of the republic.
At least the blowback from this has apparently attracted even Mabus’ attention:
Naming of Navy ships returns to tradition
Recent choices drew criticism
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, under fire from Congress and veterans for naming ships after fellow Democrats and social activists, plans to announce another round of ship names in the near future that will be more traditional, a Pentagon official tells The Washington Times.
The official said Mr. Mabus has chosen names for five surface ships – three for war heroes and two for locations. Ships typically are named after states and cities.
“I think they would be more consistent with what most people would say traditions and naming conventions are,†the official said.
Of course, according to the SECNAV’s mouthpiece the objections to the prior politically biased naming had nothing to do with any change.
Asked whether this was a response to criticism, the official said: “It isn’t. I think if you look at these five additional ships, I think you’ll see examples that are very traditional.†The official said three ships would be named after highly decorated Navy or Marine Corps personnel.
Yeah, right!
Mr. Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, broke with Navy conventions in the past three years when he named an amphibious ship, two cargo ships and a littoral combat ship after two social activists and two fellow Democrats.
What really added insult to injury was the naming of the USS John Murtha…after the Murtha-f’er, without evidence, falsely accused Marines of murder in Iraq. (Charges were not substantiated in later proceedings.) What an insult to the Marines, and to the fleet. I pity the Sailors who will have to serve aboard ships with no Naval tradition or pride in their ship’s name.